Arsenal: What Declan Rice needs to do to win Ballon d'Or after Bruno Fernandes FWA snub

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has been told what he needs to do to put himself in Ballon d'Or contention after losing out to Bruno Fernandes for the FWA Footballer of the Year prize.

Continuing to justify his £105m price tag, Rice has been an instrumental figure in Arsenal's pursuit of Premier League and Champions League glory this season, winning the man of the match award in Tuesday's 1-0 semi-final second-leg win over Atletico Madrid.

The 27-year-old has produced five goals and 11 assists from 52 appearances this season in total, but his exploits were not enough to win the FWA prize over Fernandes, who is two assists away from breaking the all-time Premier League single-season record.

The Manchester United captain won 28 more votes than Rice, but the Arsenal man is the bookies' current second favourite to win the Ballon d'Or, only behind international teammate Harry Kane.

However, ex-Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere - speaking exclusively to Sports Mole - has warned Rice that even if he can win the World Cup and Premier League, he will likely lose out to a Paris Saint-Germain star if the Gunners do not win the Champions League.

Jeremie Aliadiere: 'Declan Rice must win Champions League to win Ballon d'Or'

Asked if Rice would be in Ballon d'Or contention with a league or Champions League title, Aliadiere replied: "He would be yes, but I feel the Champions League would be the one Dec has to win to be considered.

"Otherwise you have [Khvicha] Kvaratskhelia and [Ousmane] Dembele, who both would have won the domestic league and then Champions League, would both be ahead of Declan.

"So for Dec to be a big contender, winning the Premier League, Champions League and having a good World Cup, would definitely put him right in the mix for sure."

Rice will come face-to-face with Kvaratskhelia and Dembele when Arsenal face PSG in the Champions League final on May 30, by which point they would have had their Premier League fate sealed.

The Gunners will aim to maintain or increase their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table when they face West Ham United on Sunday, by which point the Sky Blues could have cut the gap down to two by beating Brentford on Saturday.

Should Declan Rice have won the FWA prize?

Prior to the 2025-26 award, the previous three FWA Footballer of the Year awards had gone to a player who had been instrumental in their team's Premier League title success.

Erling Haaland claimed the prize in 2023, Phil Foden in 2024 and Mohamed Salah last year, but winning a team trophy is not a pre-requisite for an award celebrating individual brilliance.

Michael Carrick's contribution cannot go unnoticed, but Fernandes has inspired a hitherto average Man United side to third place in the Premier League table and a coveted spot in the Champions League.

The Portuguese's creative genius has been on full display this season - evidenced by his 19 assists - while he has also chipped in with eight league goals of his own.

There are arguments to be made on both ends, but with Arsenal stronger than Man Utd in a collective sense, it has been easier for Fernandes's individual contributions to stand out.

Jeremie Aliadiere was interviewed by Sports Mole, speaking with Manchester City title chances with William Hill.